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For those of you who may not have played Baldur’s Gate, and Fallout is your first venture into this genre, the game play is very simple to master and pick up. Controls are well laid out and it’s extremely easy to cycle through weapons on the fly as well as popping a health restoring injection when needed. Complete your quests while defeating enemies along the way, mutants of a wide variety, working your way through mazes of buildings, corridors and caves. Destroy boxes and crates as you come across them uncovering goodies that may boost your chances of survival. Some levels offer a slightly greater challenge with obstacles, basically an elaborate puzzle or maze that leads you to a switch or other device, or goodies found off the beaten path. As you defeat enemies you gain experience points which will reward you with level ups to your character. Characters can be designed to your specifications, as in many RPG’s you can dictate your characters forte’, cunning with the gift of gab or go with brute strength, it’s entirely up to you.

You also accumulate “Caps” which is the currency in the Fallout universe, caps can be spent on anything from weapons, armor, drinks at the bar and even a rendezvous with the local “Woman of the night” complete with a fade to black and interesting sounds and comments. The areas in the game are pretty sizable and the array of weapons and customization are nice, but before too long the game becomes very repetitive and ultimately becomes a “hack n’ slash” of sorts, while earlier titles were original and fun, Fallout seems like an old car with a new coat of paint.

The one thing that does set Fallout apart from its similar sister is the “M” rating. Now I do understand why games get this rating, and I have to say that in this case it seems like the developers were going for shock value rather than it being a part of the game. “F” bombs are dropped left and right, profanity is the norm and I have to admit paying the hooker for a good time was different, not to mention, if your character is a woman she responds accordingly. Yes, Fallout is supposed to be a gritty, wasteland, with a Road Warrior feel to it, but it doesn’t pull it off. If it did, the language and such would have added to the experience, but as it stands, it just seems to be tossed in for effect and not much else.

I’m sure some may like Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, but for me it was dejavu. Been there done that, and as much as I truly hate comparing games when doing a review, I’ll leave you with this final example. In Baldur’s Gate DA, your first quest to get the key to unlock whatever is to rid the cellar of rats. In Fallout your first quest as you roll into town is from the mayor, who will give you a key after you rid a warehouse of scorpions. Not to mention the levels are also just mazes that just wind you around and around just like you know who. I wanted Fallout to be good, I love Road Warrior type stuff, and as much as I hate to say it…Fallout is Baldur’s Gate in disguise.